Coach James

Season's Greetings

2006-12-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Holiday Season. Thank you for all the prayers and support for my Uncle James. He's doing well. He has one more appointment for Physical Therapy and will be assessed on his progress.

Next up is Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy. If there is anyone who has a referral for either of these, please contact us. We're looking to start as soon as space is available. The clinics we've tried to go to are filled and we're on waiting lists.
If you have any ideas outside of clinics, let us know! All of your help and ideas are welcome.

Some of you have asked about the holidays. Contact Coach via phone, mail, email, or post it here. He does receive it all, please don't hesitate to get in touch with him. You're the reason behind his progress. He looks forward to hearing from you and seeing you!

Wishing you and your family a safe and Blessed Holiday,

Leonora

Coach's Progress

2006-11-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for the prayers, support, motivation and love for Coach James. He is recouperating quite well! His physical therapist says that he's walking at 60%. YAY! He's progressed so much this first month. His speech is so much better than his first week home. His strength and coordination is improving daily.

We couldn't have done it without all of you! The cards you ladies wrote to him during Volleyball Season gave him strength and motivation. THANK YOU for expressing your heartfelt thoughts! Thank you to Santa Ana Valley, Savannah, and Western High Schools for the Get Well Wishes!

A lot of you have been asking..Coach will not be coaching Basketball this year. He's going to focus on getting his health up to par.

I'll continue to update this site with new achievements and progress throughout the year. Please feel free to drop Coach a line or give him a call. I know many of you would like to visit with him. It truly depends on how he's feeling that day or what appointments he has. But please, let us know...we can always try!

God Bless You All!

Leonora

VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU!

2006-11-06T11:13:00.000-08:00

11/02/2006 - Last Girls Volleyball Game of the Season, Senior Night

Ladies - THANK YOU!

Parents and Students - Thank you!

Gabby's family - Thank you!!

Thank you for all of your support this season. Great job, Ladies...that's the energy we've missed seeing on the court. Coach is very proud of you!

Daily Activities and Recap

2006-10-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

A typical day without appointments

Rise n Shine 7:30ish am
Take Blood Pressure
Have morning decaf coffee and read the Sports Page
Breakfast - items on the menu: eggs, pumpkin rice, fried rice, oatmeal, toast, bowl of fruit, OJ
Take Meds: Blood Pressure/HCTZ/Ginkgo Biloba/Multi-Vitamin/Vit C/Green Tea Extract - yes, 6 Pills Daily!
Relax/Play with Noa
Get some sunshine
Relax/Rest/Nap
Exercises: Coach has great form..just gotta spot him and help him with the weights or equipment for each exercise-
Cardio - Sitting March in Place, Sitting Lay-ups
Upper Body - Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders
Lower Body - Knee Extension, Hamstrings, Toe Taps, Hips
Relax/Rest/Nap
Lunch - items on the menu: chicken, fish, rice, veggies, fruit, lemonade, 7up
Fine Motor Skills Exercises/Speech Therapy/Facial Exercises
Rest/Relax/Nap
Shave/Shower
Relax/Rest
Walking Exercises - walking with the cane, heel/toe exercises
Relax/Rest
Dinner - items on the menu: same as lunch, maybe some sushi, pizza or pasta for a change of pallette
More Walking or Bed Exercises
Relax/Rest
Bedtime
.......................................................

10/22/2006 - Don visited. Lucy's Birthday. Jackie called.
10/23/2006 - Neighbor visited. John visited. The old oak tree in front of the house was cut down. We watched and said goodbye. It's been a part of this house since Coach has lived here. Martha called.
11/05/2006 - Vicki called. She's going to stop by tomorrow to give Coach a new exercise card.

FUNDRAISER and DONATIONS

2006-10-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

Many have asked how they can help Coach/Uncle James with his recovery. As you all may be aware, all the therapy sessions can be very costly. Therefore, we would greatly appreciate monetary get well donations and wishes for a speedy recovery. You will all see the impact you have made by his progression. And he is doing SO GREAT!

Please send wishes to:

James Steen
c/o: Lucy Doloiras
1374 Bottlebrush St.
Corona, CA 92882

*************

Great Job, Ladies! Keep promoting your home games to all your family and friends. Encourage them to buy goodies from the snack bar.

Snack Bar at Home Games

10/05/2006 vs. Valley $219.05
10/10/2006 vs. Magnolia $235.33
10/20/2006 vs. Savanna $133.05
10/
10/
11/02/2006 vs. Century

Thank you for your contribution towards Coach James' recovery!
Recovery includes Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, Medication and follow up Medical appointments.

10/06/2006 - 1st Physical Therapy Appt
10/13/2006 - Follow-up Medical Appt
10/16/2006 - Walking Cane
10/18/2006 - Physical Therapy
10/18/2006 - Acupuncture
10/21/2006 - Acupuncture
10/25/2006 - Physical Therapy
10/25/2006 - Acupuncture
10/28/2006 - Acupuncture
11/01/2006 - Acupuncture
11/02/2006 - Medication
11/03/2006 - Physical Therapy
11/06/2006 - Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy

2006-10-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

11/06/2006 - 9:15am
PT at UCI Medical Center with Patrick

10 min on the LifeCycle
Walked without the cane - 20 steps! Yay!!
Leg Extensions
Knee Extensions
Balance and Bend Standing on a half circle foam bar
Right arm weight exercises standing on a half circle foam bar
Bungee exercises - lunge forward, left, and right
standing knee raises
marching knee raises
side step squats up and down the hall
heel/toe walking and balance

Great workout today!! Much improvement :)

.................................................................
10/25/2006 - I have to find my notes! he did work out though!
11/03/2006 - ditto..

..................................................................
10/18/06 - 9:15am
PT at UCI Medical Center with Patrick

Cardio - 7 min on the LifeCycle
Squats 20x2
Stair Exercise
Side step across the floor
Walk a straight line, heel to toe
Balance Exercise on Balance Machine - keep X in center of grid, follow white dot by shifting weight and balancing on platform
Balance on rocker and do 2lb weight exercises with right arm
Shoot target on trampoline with a 3lb medicine ball, catch with opposite hand
Walk with cane around the floor
upper cycle - 5min

Patrick made Coach sweat today! He had a great workout. The heel/toe exercise was a little tough, definitely one we'll practice at home. Other than that, he worked hard and did well.

next appt: 10/25/06

.......

10/16/06 - 10:00am
PT at UCI Medical Center with PT(Patrick Tierney)

Cardio - 6min on the LifeCycle
Squats 30x
Side Steps -up n back 2x
Shooting a 3 lb. medicine ball into a trampoline and catching it
One Leg forward, Bend down from waist, crossover and reach past forward leg towards target
Walk with Cane 2x around facility
Hips
Stretch

Great workout today! Coach did well!!

........

10/14/06 - 11:00am
Vicki came over to coach Coach James' PT session

Cardio - Marched in place for 2 minutes
Toe Taps 30x
Leg Extensions 15x2
Hips (in and out) 10x2
Biceps 10x2
Triceps 10x2
Shoulders (forward and side)

(no, i don't know the technical terms..ha!)

.......

Daily Exercises -

Fine Motor Skills: Pick up Jacks, Catch a ping pong size ball, screw nuts n bolts, zip-tie and strainer exercise, curler pickup, racquetball squeeze

Speech Therapy - Read aloud the cards and posters from his players and students, read the newspaper, verbal exercises, facial expression exercises

Acupuncture

2006-10-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

Coach James had his first ever Acupuncture session. He was a great patient, took it like a champ! We're doing acupuncture to help quicken his recovery. It is to unblock his flow of Qi and help him with movement and speech. The session was for an hour and has another one scheduled for Saturday. He had 9 needles in him: 2 in his head, 2 in his arm, 4 in his leg, and 1 on his face by his lip. He had me take pictures. I'll upload them soon!
..........

10/21/2006 - 9:30am
2nd session

This time Coach had 10 needles..one added to under his chin. The session made him really relaxed for the rest of the day.
His right shoulder was hurting him a bit.
.........

Alumni Ladies

2006-10-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 11, 2006, 7:00 PM

Vicki came over for a physical therapy session with Coach. We learned some new exercises. Learned what we shouldn't be doing just yet. Thank you, Vicki! She'll be here Saturday to work out with Coach. Tables have turned! I'm sure they're both looking forward to it :)

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 5:04 PM

Well I was very pleased to see Coach James even under the current circumstances. I trully hope he fully recovers soon and I definitely keep him in my prayers. Let him know we all love him and even though we have not seen him in a long time, we always think of him and how he impacted our lives. I will call as well as visit soon to check up on his recovery = )
- Yuri

On 10/10/06, Leonora Doloiras wrote:

Hi Ladies,

Thank you so much for visiting Coach James today. The family appreciates your presence and support.
I believe that he will fully recover just on the love he receives from his players, family and friends.
The many lives that he has impacted is amazing..and a blessing to see the love reciprocated at his time of need.

THANK YOU!

We're keeping everyone updated on this blog http://coachjamessteen.blogspot.com
Please forward to other alumni and friends that know Coach James.
Please leave a comment. We'll print out the blog for him to read.

Take Care and please continue to keep Coach in your prayers.

Leonora

2006-10-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

I wanted to say THANK YOU! for all your prayers and support for Coach James.

Principal Ben Sanchez - for the kind and thoughtful phone message and for all the support, the family Thanks you.

Ms. Johnel Halberg - for graciously stepping in for Coach James (very much appreciated) and for the heartwarming words, a heartfelt Thank you!

To the Lady Volleyball Teams - thank you for your prayers and support. Coach James would be proud of you!

Coach Don, Coach Respp, Coach Derick - thank you for visiting and for the phone calls. Keep 'em coming, he gets every message you leave. He laughed at your last message, Don :)

Darlene, Vicki, Lorena, Yuri - Ladies, what a wonderful surprise! Thank you for showing love and support. The family and Coach appreciates you.

With love and gratitude,

Lucy (Coach's Sister)

We're home!

2006-10-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

Uncle James woke up around 4am in discomfort from one of his meds. He ate some fruit and water and was able to go back to sleep.

Rise n Shine: 7:45am
Uncle James wanted to get ready for the day but started to get dizzy when he sat up so we slowed it down and took it easy. He layed back down for short nap.
Breakfast: fruits and oj, blood pressure med and h2o
He took a cat nap to prepare for his morning exercises. We did leg exercises. He did great!
Noa wanted Uncle James to be in the living room with him. So Uncle walked from his room to the living room. He did well! Uncle Christopher and I were there to help him keep his balance.
I fixed another plate for Uncle. This time he ate chicken, mashed potatoes/gravy, and green beans. He ate a good amount this time. I'm glad his appetite is slowly coming back!
We did facial exercises, speech therapy and arm exercises. Then it was time for another nap.

Coach Don, Art and Tanesha called this morning. It's a blessing to see how many people care about Uncle/Coach/Friend James. Our family appreciates every single one of you!!

2006-10-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2006

Present: Martha, Uncle Christopher, Uncle Bobby, Uncle Tante, Grandma, Coach Don and his son, Dominic, Leonora, Christine, and Aunte Lucy

Morning Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, pancakes that looked like croutons!! (LOL)

Today was a good day!

Martha came by bright and early, but Uncle James was still asleep. She tried to feed him breakfast, but he didn’t really eat that much and the food really didn’t look that appealing in the first place!

He was supposed to change rooms, but the nurses never moved him. The team of Med students and the doctor/professor came by asking if Uncle James would be willing to participate on an interview as a case study. He happily agreed! The interview lasted about 30 minutes. He was able to answer all the questions the doctor had for him. His speech improved from the day before; that was the most he has spoken since he has been in the hospital. The doctor explained that the high blood pressure is what caused the bleeding in the brain stem, which is why the reason for the stroke. The professor/doctor observed that he is recovering well and his comprehension and recollection of the last four days were clear, which is a great sign! That’s great news!

The speech therapist and social worker came to check on Uncle James to record the progress he was making. The speech therapist let us know that his speech is much clearer and practiced talking a lot today.

Lunch time: We changed the lunch menu to pasta, but he only had the mash potatoes and drank some of his pink lemonade.

Physical Therapy: Jones gave Uncle James’ 2 thumbs up! He was able to do is right/left toe exercises, toe taps, leg lifts, and some marching exercises. And most importantly, he walked from his bed to the restroom! That was the farthest he has walked since he has been in the hospital! Great balance and strength! GREAT JOB UNCLE JAMES!

Dinner: Same as lunch! He had some cantaloupe…that’s about it! Leonora had some custard, but that wasn’t very tasty!

** 6:30pm: Uncle James was discharged from the hospital! YIPPEE! Dominic took him home and he settled in his room. He was really happy to see everyone especially his little nephews, Joseph and Noa.

Uncle James continues his rehabilitation at home and is progressively getting better. With much needed rest and physical therapy starting on Friday, he is well on his way to a full recovery!

10/03/2006 UCI Medical Center

2006-10-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

Present: Mom, Pop, Uncle Christopher, Uncle Bobby, Tia Carmela, Pamela, Joseph, Christine, Aunty Cynthia, Teresa, Cody, Angela, Uncle Edwin, Michelle

Also Present: Coach Derek, Coach Don, Damon, Joyce, and Martha: Thank you for showing love!

Uncle James was moved to the 4th Floor (NeuroScience). He's no longer in CCU (Cardiac). Before we had to leave for the night, his blood pressure was down to 158/80. Yes, that's still high, but much lower than when we first arrived to the hospital on Sunday (218/139). Many times throughout the day he worried about the time. It was Game Day. First League Game of the season. Coach was thinking of you ladies all day! Stay focused as so will he.

Christine, Pam and I went to the volleyball games for Uncle James. We met with the girls and taped video greetings. They love and miss him so much!

Speech Therapy: tongue exercises and facial expressions. Words to practice: Sweater, Water, Blue..not sure of what the other words are.

Physical Therapy: take steps one at a time. raise right arm and exercise motion. more exercises needed to be done that i don't know of.

Eats: did not eat much today. drank lots of water and sprite. on the menu: pancakes, chicken, fruit, squash, Sprite.

~Leonora

Ladies Volleyball Team

2006-10-03T22:51:00.000-07:00

Hi, it's Leonora, Uncle James' oldest niece. Just wanted to say thank you for your loving words and support today. I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet you. Coach James is lucky to have such wonderful ladies on his team! Our family appreciates your concern and support. Let's continue to pray for a speedy recovery!